If a burner bought a ticket or two, and then cannot attend, there is a temptation to sell tickets above cost (face value plus BM fees, plus selling site fees, plus shipping with signature needed). I see that e*** selling prices are dropping some now. My guess is that is due to hope of obtaining a ticket as the 8/3 sale approaches, and that prices will return to 150% of ticket cost after that date.

From reading the eplay boards, there is an effort to identify those who resell above cost, and then void their tickets. I can imagine the confrontations at the gate when those who bought tickets at inflated prices, then make the trek to the desert, and then are told they cannot enter. Turning them away must be a rough job.

I offer this proposal for debate. It won't stop scalpers, but it would help ethical burners by rewarding those who sell at (or below) their costs. I'm sure it is common to buy tickets with the expectation of attending, but then something comes up and the burner will have to wait until the next year to participate. Being certain that one will be able to be part of it the next year would be a relief, enough to make up for a few hundred extra dollars of profit.

Proposal: Maintain a list of ticket buyers who resell their ticket(s) at or below their costs, and set up a reward system so that they can be certain of being able to purchase tickets the following year.

Last edited by daydreamer on Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

It's worth noting that those whose tickets are voided are notified when that happens, and voided ticket numbers are posted (both in the FAQ and on ePlaya). Anyone choosing to buy tickets for above face value in the after-market should probably watch that list very closely.

All your idea would serve to do is encourage everyone to buy more tickets than they need to the event, if for no other reason than to guarantee ticket availability for the year after. If you have intentions of buying tickets to future years' events you should definitely not consider scalping, as getting busted may negatively affect your ability to purchase tickets to Burning Man ever again.

Do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, not because you're being bribed.

gyre wrote:Watching the Louis CK interview, it seems that they hunt down as many scalpers as possible and void tickets.However, they do not tell anyone which tickets are voided until they try to use them.

'Death From the Skies' sort of approach.

The list of tickets that have been voided is published on the Burning Man ticket website:

Q: How can I know that the ticket I am buying is valid?A: The only real way to know a ticket is real and valid is to buy it from someone you know and trust. Before you buy a ticket from a third party, check to make sure it is not listed below as a ticket number that has been canceled or voided.

Below is a list of ticket numbers that have been voided. Tickets listing these numbers are not valid for entry to Burning Man 2012 and will not work when scanned at the front gate of the event. Tickets can be canceled for various reasons, including (but not limited to) being reported as stolen and being sold at a price inflated above face value. Please note that just because a ticket number does not appear on this list does not guarantee its authenticity & validity.

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I didn't include the complete list. Please check it yourself...

Love Rice

Roach: "I feel like in this day and age, every girl should know how to build a flamethrower."

We're notifying the ticket buyer when their ticket sale has been canceled.

As for Louis CK, good for him though his system has its flaws (there are more scalped tickets available for some specific stops on his tour than there are for Burning Man… and he's playing fairly small venues).

Tansremix - the number being re-sold above face is TINY compared to the supply (and miniscule when comparing against other hot ticket events). And remember, ticket sales that were canceled prior to June wouldn't be on that list.

I think his entire marketing approach is interesting, somewhat following the modern model of bypassing the traditional music distribution systems.His fans seem to be responding to this.

Though his approach seems similar, with his small operation, he is not trying to stop anyone scalping tickets at all.Instead, he hopes to destroy the value of scalped tickets, using the poisoned field approach, an extremely ancient approach to security.I imagine it becomes wildly successful after each first local show, when word spreads about those turned away, and why.This scenario should panic any resellers into selling out before his first local show.

He has reserved the option of delaying the issue of tickets until showtime as well.

He seems to be trying to add shows to balance demand too, good for fans and him, bad for scalpers.

Multiple shows at small venues is unfortunately, not an option for the burning man big show.

It will be interesting to see how well the CK strategy plays out.The amount of effort and interest already seems like good pr for the audiences.

They are refunding rejected tickets full price at the door ... at face value.